Economic Decline in Hudson, New York: Muddy Cup Coffeehouse Saved from Closing

Recently, I heard the news that popular local coffeehouse the Muddy Cup, located on Warren Street in Hudson, New York had been saved from closing. The local newspaper (itself a victim of the recession, now publishing only five days a week instead of a full seven) reported that the Muddy Cup was throwing in the towel in mid-May, because the once popular business simply couldn't turn a profit anymore.

Fortunately, the restaurant next door decided to continue the coffeehouse, keeping the same Muddy Cup name but restructuring operations to make the business more successful. The news of this near demise is just one more blow for a community that has seen too many store closings this year.

I was born in Hudson, New York, a town that is now famous for being the "unofficial antiques capital of the Northeast." Hudson is a tough little boom and bust town that has seen its share of up and down times over the years. The city started out as a whaling port, then enjoyed periods of prosperity that led to the construction of a variety of beautiful buildings all around town. Hudson was even infamous for its "red light district" then fell on hard times in the last century. The eighties saw Hudson's resurgence as a popular destination for antique shoppers, and this led to renovation and renewal in the city.

Now I fear that this current recession could be the ultimate undoing for small Hudson Valley towns like Hudson, New York. The once bustling Warren Street, lined with antique shops, art galleries and restaurants is starting to experience many closings. It seems like every day, there's another empty storefront with a for sale sign or for lease sign out front. The Muddy Cup was about more than hot coffee; it was a place for neighbors and artists to congregate, so I'm glad that the Wunderbar Bistro is saving the space.

However, I fear that the city of Hudson may end up turning into a ghost town again. On my last visit to Hudson just this past weekend, I noticed that Ananda's Bliss was empty and the shop is boarded up. So many shops and businesses that surround the Hudson Muddy Cup have now closed their doors, like beautiful Hudson House Antiques and Dawn Breeze Painting Studio. Walk up and down Warren Street in Hudson (the city's "main drag") and for every open store, you'll see more stores that are now closed.

As Hudson struggles to survive financially, the city is grappling with how to create housing for its growing homeless population. Turning the once popular St. Charles Hotel into a homeless shelter and a satellite location for the city's Department of Social Services is one option; however, some in Hudson are grumbling this is "bad for tourism" and the city's upscale image because the St. Charles is in the heart of the city (and a visible homeless shelter near the city park could be the first thing visitors and tourists see when they arrive in Hudson, a popular weekending destination).

I have often wondered recently if Washington, with all of their bail out dollars approved for fat cat corporations, really understands what this recession is like for citizens trying to survive in Small Town, USA. The recession is changing the face of life in big cities and in small towns across America, in lots of places that are not widely known. I feel this sadness in my heart that life as we know it here in my town is shrinking. When I drive up to another boarded up shop, or read about more layoffs and business closings in my community, it's becoming harder and harder to take it all in on a daily basis.

Increasingly, you can't find a decent job in the Hudson Valley, and the businesses that form the fabric of our lives on a daily basis, like stores and restaurants, are rapidly closing here. I'd love to see our government leaders take a fact finding tour of America's smallest towns, to see and feel what life is like in the trenches here. I sometimes feel like the recession needs to become more visceral and connected to the daily life of the people, instead of something that's talked about in an abstract way in boardrooms, in the form of balance sheets, bonuses, stimulus money, and corporate bailouts.

The cost of the recession isn't just measured in dollars and cents, in my opinion. The recession takes an emotional toll that can't be measured with a calculator. How do you measure the cost of watching your community become a potential ghost town? When things bottom out here, will everyone just move away to a place where there's more opportunity, or will someone or something come along again to eventually rejuvenate Hudson, like the antique dealers did a few decades ago?

I'm just grateful that someone in the community stepped up to bail out our local coffeehouse, and we still have a local gathering spot. In a sea of store closings and failed companies, it's nice to see one business come forward to keep a restaurant open that has meaning in our community. I only hope that this good news about the Muddy Cup staying open is a sign that Hudson can be saved, and will rebound to become a prosperous city once more.

Source:
www.muddycup.com